WTO trade deal 'very limited'

Talks on an ambitious trade pact between 12 countries around the Pacific Rim have failed to reach agreement.

But there is hope that a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership might be forged in the next few months.

The positive vibe is spilling over from the weekend when the World Trade Organisation agreed to reform global trade. But there is still some work to be done on the WTO agreement.

Alan Bollard, executive director of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Secretariat, says the WTO agreement will remain very limited unless a lot of practical training for workers who facilitate trade - such as customs, logistics and quarantine workers - can be undertaken.